1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology of displaying information concerning an application installed in an image forming apparatus, and particularly, relates to a technology of controlling a mobile terminal and the image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus of recent years has improved its image processing function, and as a result, an apparatus provided with various functions has come to be developed. In addition, in the image forming apparatus, many apparatuses employ an LCD (liquid crystal display) panel as an operation display apparatus for operating the display/selection of an application function, or the like.
In addition, mobile terminals of these days such as a mobile telephone and a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) have come to be multifunctional.
From this background, there are growing demands to transmit information that the mobile terminal holds to the image forming apparatus and print the information, or to receive information in the image forming apparatus with the mobile terminal and display or operate the information.
Patent Document 1 discloses the technology as follows: a user holds above a mobile terminal to a predetermined position of an image forming apparatus; then, the terminal and the apparatus exchange the addresses of wireless LAN (Local Area Network) mutually through short-range wireless communication (non-contact IC card and card reader) which has been provided in the apparatus and the terminal; the image forming apparatus authenticates the user on its image frame; after that, the mobile terminal transfers data held therein to the image forming apparatus through wireless LAN and prints the data; the image forming apparatus transfers the data held therein to the mobile terminal; and the mobile terminal saves the data therein.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-79639, after a user selects a file to be printed on a mobile terminal, the mobile terminal displays an image frame thereon for setting printing conditions. The user can select the printing conditions from this image frame, and can print the data held in the mobile terminal and simultaneously can save the data held in the image forming apparatus.
As for operation of the image forming apparatus on an LCD, the purposes are different among each user, and accordingly, both the image frame displayed on the LCD and operation are also occasionally different depending on each user, in the case where usage records of printing are displayed or in the case of reservation printing or the like. For this reason, in order to identify the user, it is common for the user to perform operation after having logged in to the image forming apparatus, and when a certain user is using the image forming apparatus, other users should not use the image forming apparatus from the aspect of security as well.
However, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-79639, the image forming apparatus can communicate with the mobile terminal through wireless LAN communication, and accordingly, the user can use the image forming apparatus even remotely from the image forming apparatus. On the other hand, it is difficult for other users to know who uses the image forming apparatus. Because of this, when a certain user has left the image forming apparatus in a state of having logged in to the image forming apparatus, and having used the image forming apparatus through the mobile terminal, such event can probably occur that the image forming apparatus in the logged-in state by a user is used by another user, or a user is logged out from the mobile terminal without permission by another user. In addition, there is a problem that multi log-in can also occur.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-79639, there is also a problem that it is necessary for a user to perform such a complicated operation as to input a pin number on the display unit of the image forming apparatus in order to identify the user, which is troublesome for the user.